According to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, the homeowner reported being awakened by a smoke alarm and seeing the fire. The homeowner and a house guest were able to safely escape the home and called 911.

Those two people told authorities a third house guest, in the basement area of the house, said he was going to retrieve items from the home. The man was later found dead on the first floor of the home during firefighting efforts, the Ulster County Sheriff's Office reports.

The man's name is being withheld pending notification of his family. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.